Tour de France

It’s a different Tour, for everyone and in every aspect. The scorching hot temperatures in July will be replaced by the final rays of summer sunshine, ending on September 20th. Crowds will be less numerous -not only because of the pandemic, which restricts tourism, but also since July traditionally is the holiday month for French people-, and fans won’t have as much contact with the riders as usual. Security measures will be stronger than ever. And despite all of that, and the stress this race puts on the entire cycling convoy, everyone is wishing for the race to finally take place. Because with the Tour, with its coming to fruition, the entire sport ensures its biggest moment of protagonism yearly is once again guaranteed in this difficult 2020.

However, the route won’t change a thing from the original July schedule. The Grand Départ will be held in Nice, with two lumpy stages, most importantly day two (Sunday 30th), over the cols of la Colmiane (Cat-1), Turini (Cat-1), Èze (Cat-2) and Quatre Chemins (B), the latter just 9km from the finish. The first mountain-top finish will come on stage 4 (Tuesday 1st September), with the climb to Orcières-Merlette (Cat-1; 7.1km, 6.7%) preceded by four other ascents. And on day six (Thursday 3rd), a finish strongly resembling another MT-F: the Mont Aigoual (non-categorized; 8.2km, 4%), just after the Col de la Lusette (Cat-1 + B; 11.7km, 7.3%).

The Pyrenees, the first big mountain block in this year’s Tour, will be brief (two days) and seemingly not as decisive. Loudenvielle will hold the finish of stage eight (Sunday 5th), after the cols of Menté (Cat-1), Balès (HC) and the Peyresourde (Cat-1 + B), after which the riders will descent straight to the end. Then, on stage nine (Sunday 6th), the Soudet-Issarbe (Cat-1; called Hourcère for this race) and the suffocating Marie-Blanque (Cat-1 + B) could be the perfect terrain for either the race contenders of a breakaway -which is usually the case in mountainous stages at the ‘Grande Boucle’, where the strongest escapees take most wins-.

Following the first rest day and two flat stages -watch out for the Île de Ré finish on Tuesday 8th, with the peloton always near the Atlantic coast-, the race will enter the Massif Central through the Suc au May (Cat-2 + B), en route to Sarran (Thursday 10th), and will leave with a demanding stage 13 (Friday 11th), overcoming seven climbs and finishing atop the Puy Mary (Cat-1; 5.4km, 8.1%). After that, Sunday 13th, the peloton will make a short incursion in the Jura mountains with a key stage, over the Selle de Fromentel (Cat-1), the Col de la Biche (Cat-1) and a tough finish up the Grand Colombier (HC; 17.4km, 7.1%).

That will be only one of four consecutive mountain stages. Heading into the Alps, on Tuesday 15th, the race will get to Villard-de-Lans (Cat-3) after the Col de Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte (Cat-1 + B; 11.1km, 6.5%). Five ascents on stage 16 to anticipate huge vertical gains and altitude on Wednesday 16, with La Madeleine (HC) and the Col de la Loze (HC; 21.5km, 7.8%), another big finish on stage 17. And to cap off the Alpine block, a restless ride on Thursday 17th, with five categorized climbs: Cormet de Roselend (Cat-1), Route des Villes (Cat-3), Saisies (Cat-2), Aravis (Cat-1) and the Plateau des Glières (HC + B), including a short gravel road section, 35km from the finish in La Roche-sur-Foron.

Actually, aren’t we missing anything? Yes, we do: time trials. It’s the least TT-populated Tour a generation can remember. There will only be one time trial, an individual one, on the penultimate day of racing, and it finishes uphill. La Planche des Belles Filles (Cat-1; 6km, 8.5%) will crown a 36km ITT just 24 hours away from París (Saturday 19th). A ‘City of Light’ the riders will reach, this time strictly and not metaphorically, as the summer ends, as Salvador Dalí once said.